The Legend of Rosy Clouds 云秀行: Episodes 15-16 Discussion
Welcome to the discussions for The Legend of Rosy Clouds!
🌟This post is for episodes 15-16 please use spoiler tags for any eps beyond these🌟
🌟Other media spoilers: Please use spoiler tags when discussing significant plot points from the Saiunkoku Monogatari light novels, anime, or manga.
Links:
Index | Masterpost | Ep 1-3 | Eps 4-6 | Ep 7-8 | Ep 9-10 | Eps 11-12 | Eps 13-14
Airing Schedule | MDL | Dramawiki | Flashcards
Discussion posts will be a day behind the iQIYI airing schedule, with your hosts posting according to their own timezones and availability. Next up will be u/Alarming_Tea_102 with eps 17-18
Previously on Legend of Rosy Clouds...
Episode 1 meet cute, drama and manga version
EPISODE 15
Qi Zheng is forced to pass the exam reform without the inclusion of women. Fan Yun is disappointed but quickly turns her attentions to protecting the other students' right to take the exam from sabotage.
New characters: Tian Xing, young student.
Reform Results
At first it seems like Qi Zheng has succeeded and a majority of ministers are willing to support the gender inclusive reform plan. Unfortunately, in the end Lord Zheng's word still carries a lot of weight and the majority sides with him in his 'women in government will cause the downfall of society' stance.
But opening the exam up to all classes of men is still a huge deal and we immediately see the effects. Young men from all over flock to the capital for exam preparations.
Door Slam on Delusions
Fan Yun opens this ep with a weary sigh at Lou Qiyan's unwanted presence in her home. Same girl, same. In response to his dismissive attitude about her hopes to take the exam, she slams a door in his face. Finally. I cheered.
After the exam reform is passed, Lou Qiyan is, for some reason, slow to hear that women have been excluded and only finds out by noticing how all the customers in a bookstore are men. He seems upset to hear how popular the reform has made Qi Zheng as a leader. I immediately suspect he will try and sabotage the situation somehow.
Later, he takes Fan Yun out for a walk to cheer her up and tries to win her over with his real estate plans, she's not that impressed. She's even less impressed when on their walk she finds out local businesses have been price gouging the poorer students for all exam related services. Lou Qiyan is dismissive of her concerns, it's just how the economy works. Lou Qiyan would love capitalism. She leaves him standing in the middle of the street with a shocked look on his face, much to my delight.
Although its not stated directly, I feel like with his merchant connections he is responsible for this price gouging scheme.
Alone Together
After the reform passes, Qi Zheng initially keeps his distance from Fan Yun, feeling that he has let her down. He sneaks into the Fan residence and gets some big brother advice from Gao Ran, he needs to talk to her. But Qi Zheng leaves without seeing her.
After her walk with Lou Qiyan, Fan Yun summons Qi Zheng to tell him about the price gouging scheme she discovered. Disappointed she doesnt want to have a personal chat, nevertheless this gives them a shared cause to work on together. He ends up making some decrees that solve the issues: exam related goods and services cannot be surge priced, free transport services will be set up for students traveling from outside the city, and Huan'e House temporarily becomes student housing.
Now Wei Shisan takes Fan Yun out for a walk where she suggests maybe she should remarry Qi Zheng if she cant become an official, right before conveniently stumbling upon a shadow puppet play put on by the man himself. Unconfirmed but feel like Shisan must have been in on this plan with Qi Zheng, right?
His play is his story and theirs. It's very sweet and Fan Yun tears up right as the curtain dramatically raises so they can make Meaningful Eye Contact. Shisan shoos all the other patrons out of the theater so they can have a chat. He admits he's worried he let her down and it turns out she's not mad. She addresses him by name which she hasn't done since they got divorced, and they agree they wont give up on their shared dream. Communication! Romantic gestures! This is the good stuff!
Their sweet moment is interrupted by news that students are having their exam tokens stolen. Fan Yun goes to tend to the those who got beat up by the thieves while Qi Zheng receives a report from Hu Die that the tokens are being stolen by the Shadow Slay League. Fan Yun meets Tian Xing, a young student here to take the exam who has some medical knowledge.
Later in order to clear up a humorous misunderstanding about what he is doing visiting Hu Die, Qi Zheng lets Fan Yun in on the secret that he owns Huan'e House and its role as a source of intel. Hu Die seems quite amused by the ex spouses. Fan Yun offers to come up with a plan to catch the thieves.
EPISODE 16
Fan Yun figures out Lou Qiyan is behind the sabotage leading to confrontation between him and Qi Zheng. The students sit for the exam.
new characters: Lord Cai, court official. Bo Qin, exam candidate.
Shadow Slay League
Fan Yun's plan is to have Gao Ran and the Guardian Corps (that he no longer works for?) go undercover during a celebratory dinner for the students. Later we find out Qi Zheng didn't know the details of this plan? None of this makes much sense, but moving on. The Shadow Slay League is just as subtle as their soon-to-be-revealed boss and Gao Ran immediately catches one of them red handed leading to an all out fight.
Fan Yun discovers the Shadow Slay attackers are scared of harming her and notices a figure watching the fight from a balcony above. We can clearly see its Lou Qiyan but she doesn't put it together until later.
Apparently having realized that the Lou Qiyan version of him was getting nowhere, Zheng Shi arrives at Huan'e House out of his villain drag and claiming to want to study with Fan Yun and the other students. He seems to be trying to mold his personality into something she would want but keeps missing the mark. Even though she seems to have set her personal disappointment aside for now, I feel like this is so rude of him? He was dismissive when she initially told him about wanting to sit for the exam and now that she can't, he shows up saying things like 'it doesn't even matter if I pass or not.' Like dude, how dense are you??
She declines his offers of snacks and support, favoring the commoner students over him. The students for their part, also refuse his snacks as soon as they find out he's the young lord Zheng. Dual rejection. But right before the students turn on him, Fan Yun is studying him carefully and putting the pieces together. She realizes he must be in charge of the Shadow Slay League.
He dons his villain drag again later to do a catwalk through the prison to silence one of his men who got caught. The man doesn't die, but strategically placed needles cause him to 'go mad.'
Later that day? Week? Who knows. Fan Yun has tea with Zheng Shi at Huan'e House. After she told him she didn't understand him at all during their last meeting, he tells her she can ask him anything. But she is not buying anything he is selling! She asks him directly why he was at the fight and he's surprised. He truly does not seem to understand her at all.
He promises her that he wont have his men harm the scholars or Nine Cities again. Then he gets real delulu and forcefully grabs her hand while asking her to "stay by his side, let your morals become mine." I was going to include a screenshot but honestly, its too absurd to even look at it. Big yikes.
She storms out on him.
Not So Romantic Tending of Wounds
After the fight at Huan'e house, Wei Shisan busts into Gao Ran's rooms in the middle of the night to stop him from committing a cdrama crime: tending to his own wounds. But it doesn't land as a romance beat like the show clearly wants because her level of pushiness and his level of discomfort are once again at odds.
At one point he clearly states he doesn't like people touching him! I feel like she should have toned her approach down and used logic instead of force. He is a sensible person and the wound was long and jagged, genuinely easier for someone else to help him with than do it himself.
But we don't go that route. She applies the medicine and the extremely loosely tied bandage to his bare back and chest which are both covered in old scars. They have a chat about her fixation on his looks, this is the second or third time he has brought it up, I think he rightfully is suspicious that her affections are shallow. Then she tries to push his boundaries even further by seeming to lean for a kiss. He gets so flustered he leaves the room before remembering it is his room and she's the one who should leave.
Slightly More Romantic Carriage Ride
Qi Zheng happens to be at Huan'e House in time to see Fan Yun storming out of her meeting with Zheng Shi. He, of course, enters petty jealousy mode instead of noticing the expression on her face. Hu Die whispers something to him, which I am guessing is the intel about Lou Qiyan running the Shadow Slay League. Why didnt Fan Yun tell him directly? Idk.
He tries to leave without even talking to Fan Yun but she stops him so he forcibly invites her on a carriage ride around the block. They take turns smelling each other and that's not a euphemism. She takes a sachet from him that was intended for her as a good luck gift before the exam. He should seem pleased with how much she wants to hold onto this special gift from him, but instead he keeps being petty and claims he will lend it to her for a little while but she needs to give it back. Luckily she doesn't seem to take him seriously and calls out his pettiness.
Later Qi Zheng orchestrates a romantic moonlit meeting at the phoenix tree pavilion...with Zheng Shi. He confronts him about running the Shadow Slay League and makes some suggestions that Zheng Shi could work for him against his grandfather but also that he will destroy him if he harms the Nine Cities. I think that's what was going on, not sure if the subs were bad or if this conversation was just inherently a little confusing.
Other Things Going on This Ep
Lord Zheng enters a few meetings with seemingly intentional lateness, a subtle power play? First he is late to court causing Qi Zheng to nearly replace him as the official in charge of an important ceremony related to the exam. But he arrives in time to continue is long held role. We are briefly introduced to another court official, Lord Cai.
Then Lord Zheng arrives late to tea with Lords Lyu and Zhao, who pretend they weren't gently ribbing on him right before he walked in. The Three Elders seems to have returned to their status quo, or close enough.
The exam begins. Students are lined up outside and Zheng Shi is there behind Tian Xing, who he offers some genuinely nice advice to when some others in line are rude about Tian Xing's age. We see Wei Rong also in line and are briefly introduced to a new character, Bo Qin, who seems to be a Yan Jiang fanboy?
During the exam we see most students hard at work on their papers except Zheng Shi, who settles in to take a nap.
While the exam is ongoing, Qi Zheng comes to check in on Fan Yun who he figured might need the company. He checks in on how she's feeling and then we end on a kind of mini cliffhanger: he says he has spoken to the Ministry of Rites about something and has a way... (to let her be an official? I guess we will have to stay tuned to find out).
❌ No Thank You Corner ❌
DISCUSSION
I skipped over it above but I really liked the scene of Fan Qi and Gao Ran sitting sitting with Fan Yun after her disappointment. They hadn't been the most supportive initially and neither seems to know exactly how to support her in the moment but they are present and they give her space when she asks for it.
Obviously I quite enjoyed Fan Yun repeatedly rejecting Lou Qiyan but we're only in ep 16 so I'm sure he won't get the message anytime soon. But more importantly, I think the way she and Qi Zheng are finding their way back to each other is sweet so far. I like that they have tasks to do together.
Should we take bets on if the show is ever going to address the Tian Xing red eye super strength situation?? Let me know what you thought of that or anything else in the comments!
Posted Jun 26, 2026, 7:19 PM UTC